


when the sun rises, it will be a whole new day

by RinAngel



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Drunk Friend-sitting, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Shenanigans, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Qian Kun is a Good Boy, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:53:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24717835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinAngel/pseuds/RinAngel
Summary: An unlucky game of rock, paper, scissors lands Kun with the responsibility of one very drunk Xuxi... and the responsibility of managing all the undiscussed feelings between them.(Written for a prompt challenge: babysitting / luck of the draw.)
Relationships: (just a taste), Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Mark Lee/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Qian Kun/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 8
Kudos: 111
Collections: June 2020 Prompt Week





	1. Chapter 1

_“Gawi bawi bo!”_

Random chance, _sure._ The responsibility of drunk-Xuxi didn’t feel like a burden of random chance this time around. Kunhang had lost them at the second bar, talking to some cutie-pie girl who had accidentally-on-purpose nearly spilled her drink on him, while Ten and Sicheng both graciously declined any part of the responsibility on the grounds that Sicheng’s parents were visiting the next day. It would look bad to have a hungover giant passed out on their futon, especially when the hungover giant tended to sleep past noon.

So it was just Kun, Yangyang, and Dejun competing for ownership of drunk-Xuxi, which didn’t feel quite fair to Kun. Maybe if his friends knew the half of it, he would have been given an exemption from the game, too. _Sorry, guys, I can’t take drunk-Xuxi because I currently have an awkward, complicated relationship with sober-Xuxi and we haven’t even fucking talked it out in person yet. So please,_ **_please—_ **

“Yay! See, I told you, Kun _-ge_ always picks rock,” Dejun smirked, giving Yangyang a nudge with his elbow. “Hey, don’t worry, though! I’ll hail a cab, okay?” He was already on it, even as Ten and Sicheng worked together to hand off the clingy package that had wrapped itself around them. It didn’t seem to make any difference to Xuxi, who went from nuzzling against Sicheng to nuzzling against Kun without comprehending the change.

“You guys are all my best friends. I fuckin’ love you,” Xuxi slurred, leaning on Kun for stability. “Sorry I got too drunk. Got sad ‘n shit.”

“Hey, we’ve all been there, buddy,” Sicheng soothed, rubbing Xuxi’s back. It was easy to be the supportive friend when you weren’t the designated caretaker, Kun thought with malice, and he made sure that the glare he shot Sicheng was appropriately nasty. “Kun _-ge_ is going to take really good care of you, so have fun!”

“Okay, byeeee. Wait, no, _wait—”_ Despite the cab waiting, door open and meter running, Xuxi couldn’t be prompted to get in without giving each of his other friends a kiss goodbye on the forehead. “Everybody, get home safe!” Xuxi warned loudly, but with his kisses distributed, he was finally willing to let Kun drag him off and push him into the backseat.

“Thank you, _gege.”_ (Half in Korean, half in Mandarin, par for the course for a drunken international student.) “You’re not mad, are you?”

“Mad at you? Never,” Kun replied, and though he couldn’t _help_ but feel somewhat agitated by the situation, he was still telling the truth. He couldn’t blame Xuxi for any of this, or even for getting himself so drunk that he could barely walk on his own. Really, for everything that was eating at him, he only had himself to blame.

“You know what I noticed? Ten and Sicheng. They’re cute together.”

“Hm… yeah, I guess they are.” Kun smiled a little bit, despite himself. “They’re crazy over each other. But they also just got together… you know how new couples are.”

“Smoochy.”

“Yup.” Kun smiled as much as he could, but he was feeling a little antsy, talking about _couples_ with Xuxi. Without thinking, he unlocked his phone in his hands, and there was the conversation, still open from when he’d reread it earlier that evening. It had happened three days ago, but he’d already relived those texts a thousand times, wondering and wishing and waiting.

_Kun: I know it’s late, but can I ask you something weird?_

_Xuxi:_ 👀 _  
_ _Xuxi: now u gotta ask, man_

 _Kun: LOL…_ _  
_ _Kun: I guess I just generally want to ask how you’re feeling as far as… stuff._

 _Xuxi: omg you’re killing me_ 😂😂😂 _  
_ _Xuxi: mark stuff?? u can say his name, he’s not like voldemort_ _  
_ _Xuxi: there’s no need to worry about me! even tho it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy_ 😊

 _Kun:_ ☠️ _  
_ _Kun: Hhh I don’t know how to do this_

 _Xuxi:_ 😳

 _Kun: OK so I don’t want you to think this is any sort of rebound thing… I just want to put it out there that I like you a lot. Probably a little more than I should._ _  
_ _Kun: I wanted to wait but Ten said I was using the fact that you broke up with Mark recently as an excuse to not make a move. And he was partially right… but please don’t consider this a “move”. I know it’s early and the last thing I want is to rush into something stupid or take advantage of your feelings. I just want to tell you, so that you know…_ _  
_ _Kun: Ngl you’ve been typing so long, you’re making me nervous_

 _Xuxi: i can’t decide what language to answer in_ 🤡 _u know i’m not a words person_

_Kun: Sorry take your time!!_

_Xuxi: let me just kill ur anxiety...i think ur the sweetest guy in the world_ 😊 _i like u too...actually yangyang and kunhang can back me up, i smile like a fool whenever u msg me_ 🤩 _  
_ _Xuxi: u actually have me so flustered right now lmao_

 _Kun:_ 🥰

 _Xuxi: i’m gonna be a pain in the ass tho...i’m gonna ask you to wait just a tiny bit longer_ _  
_ _Xuxi: i feel like i should be over him, it’s been three weeks… but i’m still struggling a little. and i don’t want to jump into something half-hearted. u deserve so much more._

 _Kun: You’re not a pain in the ass at all! Please… do whatever you need to do to feel comfortable, okay? I’m here no matter what happens, I just really hope I haven’t made you feel awkward…_ 😵

_Xuxi: i wish there was an emoji of finger hearts bc i would give u so many_

_Kun: There’s regular hearts, you dork_

_Xuxi:_ ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍💝💖💗 _‹how i feel rn_ _  
_ _Xuxi: you don’t mind waiting?_

_Kun: Not in the least._

_Xuxi: still coming out with us friday night?? i’m already drooling thinking about fried chicken and beer lol_

_Kun: Wouldn’t miss it!!_

And then that was it. The next time Xuxi texted him, it was a video of Kunhang’s puppy Bella catching pieces of popcorn in midair, and there was no more mention of Kun’s crush or Xuxi’s breakup or liking or waiting or heart emojis. They hadn’t talked about much in those three days, and _then_ Kun was running behind, trying to submit a last minute assignment before it was marked late— so by the time he’d arrived at the bar, Xuxi was already three drinks deep, and Kun had to assume that he hadn’t eaten any fried chicken, after all.

“How does your stomach feel, Xuxi?”

“Uhh, I’m trying not to think about it while we’re in the cab,” Xuxi mumbled, his head tilted back against the seat’s headrest.

“Oh, yes, keep doing that. Focus on breathing,” Kun assured him quickly, patting Xuxi’s shoulder delicately. If there was one thing he wanted to avoid, it was cleaning up vomit; the cab driver seemed to feel the same, judging by the way he started to speed when he heard Xuxi talk. Luckily, Kun didn’t live far, and his building didn’t have too many stairs.

“Y’know what I just thought of?” Xuxi had perked up by the time they got out of the cab and made it inside; the cold night air had clearly done him some good. “This is my first time at your apartment! It’s so little and cozy!”

“I’m glad you like it! Sorry it’s messy— I would have cleaned up if I knew you were coming here,” Kun chuckled. It really wasn’t much: a single open space that served as a living room-slash-kitchen, a separate bedroom, and a bathroom. And while it wasn’t _terribly_ dirty, it was at least obvious that Kun spent most of his free time nested up on the couch with his favorite blankets and the TV remote in hand. His empty tea cup was even sitting on the coffee table, waiting for him to clean it up. “Uh, the couch is kind of short, so— I’ll sleep out here, and you can take my bed. I mean, it’ll _still_ be too short for you, but at least you won’t have to curl yourself up in the fetal position…”

“Wait, you’re gonna sleep out here?” Xuxi repeated, looking dumbstruck, his eyebrows furrowed and his pouty lips doing what came naturally. _God,_ he was so cute and it wasn’t _fair._ Kun was never one to get wrapped up in good looks, but he could have just stared into Xuxi’s eyes and been content. He wasn't just handsome, he was... _ethereal. Supernaturally_ handsome. “That’s stupid. Come share the bed with me.”

“Uhh, _Xuxi—”_

“Come on, don’t be mean.” Xuxi folded his arms. “You’re not allowed to not do things with me just ‘cuz you like me. That’s _discrimination_ and I won’t have it. If I was Ten, you’d come cuddle up with me!”

Well… actually, that was true. Kun and Ten had shared a bed plenty of times platonically, after many similar wasted nights, and Kun had never thought very hard about it. Then again, he and Ten had known each other since high school— and Kun hadn’t told Ten three days ago that he liked him. Xuxi was right, absolutely right. “Just— go get in bed. I’m going to wash my face and stuff.”

“Are you coming, though?”

Kun’s face flushed. “Yeah. Give me a few minutes.”

“Don’t lie to me, because I _will_ remember tomorrow!”

Kun shut himself in the bathroom and sighed, splashing cold water on his face. He could have said no. He was the _oldest,_ he could have told Yangyang or Dejun to suck it up and take one for the team. He could have taken Xuxi back to his dorm even, and left him with a glass of water and some aspirin by his bed, that would have been enough. But… no, then he would have worried too much. No, right here with him, that was best.

Kun emerged from the bathroom ready for sleep, even changed into a pair of soft pajama pants and a t-shirt. Xuxi, on the other hand, had opted to simply wiggle out of his jeans, crawling into bed in his shirt and boxers. “Sorry I don’t have anything for you to borrow, really. You’re too tall for all my clothes.”

“‘S okay. Same with all my friends,” Xuxi replied. Their gazes locked, Xuxi’s eyes still hazy but expectant. “You’re blushing.”

“So are you! It’s because we’re both drunk,” Kun excused with a teasing smile (though he’d only had two drinks and he’d been just about sober when they left the bar). He forced himself not to hesitate as he slipped into bed beside Xuxi, even let his arm brush against Xuxi’s shoulder to prove that he wasn’t afraid to touch him. “Do you need anything before I settle in? I’m not a heavy sleeper, but I _will_ be grumpy if you wake me up for something stupid.”

“Hm. No…” Xuxi was uncharacteristically quiet beside him, sounding unsure as he answered. Still, Kun wasn’t going to question it, at least not until Xuxi went on: “I decided something tonight.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’m over Mark. I mean, like… 98% over Mark. He was the one who chose to leave, you know? Our relationship was good, but… he picked someone else over me. It’s silly to keep giving him my thoughts when he obviously doesn’t want me.”

“Yeah, I understand. Feelings work in really frustrating ways, don’t they…”

“Kun-ge, I want you to kiss me.”

Xuxi turned his head to face Kun as he spoke, his lips so close that Kun could feel his breath tickling the back of his neck. Instinctively, he shrunk back, just a little— yeah, he was a little scared, shy when it came to first kisses, but Xuxi was also a _temptation._ They were already so close, and it would have been so _easy._ Just a couple centimeters, and maybe they’d be starting the first pages of another epic romance. _Maybe for real, this time. Maybe we’d last._

“Xuxi, you’re drunk.”

“So? Doesn’t this feel like the perfect moment?” Xuxi’s arm slipped confidently around Kun’s waist to draw him a little closer— and it was _sublimely_ perfect, in all honesty. Xuxi might have reeked of beer, but Kun still swooned, for a second.

“It doesn’t feel perfect, _because_ you’re drunk, babe.” Kun chuckled weakly; he didn’t expect Xuxi to be pushy, but really he didn’t know _what_ to expect, so he kept his body tense anyway, ready to leave if he had to. “If you’re really ready to kiss me, you’ll still want to kiss me tomorrow, when you’re sober. And if you haven’t changed your mind by then… if you wake up tomorrow, and you look at me and still think that you’re over Mark and you want to kiss me… if that happens, Xuxi, then we can try.”

“Mm.” Kun could almost _see_ the pout on Xuxi’s face, and he felt a twinge of nervousness. _Maybe I just let him slip through my fingers._ In fact, he nearly opened his mouth to apologize, before he Xuxi pulled him closer still and pressed his face into Kun’s hair. “Fine. Tomorrow morning, first thing, I’m going to give you a kiss so passionate and amazing that you have no choice but to fall in love with me. And no, I am absolutely not going to forget about saying this.”

Kun laughed again, finally relaxing a little bit, letting his back rest against Xuxi’s chest. Xuxi’s body was surprisingly soft and squishy, but his arms were strong around him, and even clumsily drunk, he held onto Kun like he was scared he’d break him if he grabbed him too hard, and… yeah, Kun could get used to this. _This is better than a first kiss. So much better, you have no idea._ “I’m holding you to that! If I don’t fall in love, I’ll be bitterly disappointed!” he teased, all the while wondering if Xuxi could feel the pounding of his heart that seemed to make his whole body tremble. It was a trick, really— Kun could already feel the seeds of love taking root in his heart, but he wouldn’t tell Xuxi that _just_ yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story wasn't done 🤷

“I told Xuxi not to get too wound up in Mark. I knew he was a playboy, but… you know how idealistic Xuxi always is.” Ten, as always, was the one who fretted over things like that. He might have had an image to uphold as a savage, sarcastic beast, but he was a person who felt things deeply, too. He spoke softly, watching for Xuxi all the while. They’d invited him out for coffee between classes, but for the first time since Kun met him, Xuxi had left them all on read.“When he told Mark that he loved him, I think it must have freaked him out.”

Made sense. Xuxi was an eccentric romantic, and Mark… well, Mark was your typical 21 year old college guy. In sharp contrast, there was nothing typical about Xuxi. He was too amazing for his own good, and so far in life, that had been his downfall. When he fell, he seemed to fall hard.

Kun could identify. He was the same exact way. It never stopped hurting, to fall for a person who wasn’t right for you.

“Anyway,” Kunhang spoke up for the first time, stirring his iced coffee with his straw. “What are you going to do, Kun-ge?”

“Me? Why me?”

Ten smiled faintly. “You and Xuxi keep missing each other. When he was single, you were seeing Taeyong. Before that, Xuxi was talking to Jungwoo. Don’t start dating anyone, okay? When Xuxi is okay again, you have to tell him how you feel.”

“I— I can’t do that. I’m going to freak him out. I don’t think Xuxi sees me that way…”

Kunhang sighed, taking a long sip of his drink. “Well, then, he’s going to pass you by. And then you’ll never find out, will you?”

//

When Kun woke up, morning sunlight was streaming in the window, and he felt refreshed, invigorated. He never got hangovers, he was lucky— and alcohol made him sleep like the dead, with none of his usual insomnia. 

_ I don't have any plans today. I could doze all morning. _ He thought made him smile in his half-sleep, cuddling into the warm body beside him.

_ That's right. Xuxi. _

He did his best not to move too suddenly, not wanting to disturb Xuxi as he worked his way out of his grip. Kun had rolled over in bed at some point in the night, burrowing his way into Xuxi’s chest, and the taller man had apparently welcomed him with open arms. They were  _ still _ locked around him, and— as much as the thought made Kun’s heart flutter, he’d wait for Xuxi to wake up before he let himself think about it anymore.

Kun’s downfall was always falling for guys who were way out of his league. Guys like Xuxi, in simplest terms. Wealthy, charismatic, and mind-numbingly gorgeous. Sure, Xuxi struggled in dating too, but it was truthfully because nobody measured up to him. Equal and opposite problems. Kun sighed, squashing the urge to touch Xuxi’s pretty face, glowing golden in the light from the window.

From what he knew of Xuxi, Kun had a feeling that he’d sleep for a couple more hours, but there wasn’t much else to do in the little apartment, so he figured he’d make breakfast anyway. Maybe the smell of food cooking would rouse him earlier.  _ Maybe I’ll bring him breakfast in bed or something. _ Kun struggled to keep the smile from his face at the thought while he started a pot of coffee.

_ He was pretty drunk, so I won’t expect him to remember. I won’t get my hopes up. I’ll just see what he does, and… whether or not he kisses me, I’ll be content. _ Kun ran through these rules for himself in his head as he got out his favorite cast-iron skillet (in his experience, a western-style breakfast,  _ particularly  _ pancakes, was best for a hangover). It seemed good, in theory, to remind himself not to hope too hard, but even thinking the word  _ kiss _ got his heart racing, and he sighed wearily. He was going to be excited no matter what, he thought to himself, doing the measuring almost blindly. Flour, sugar, salt, egg— he and Ten had been drunk a  _ lot  _ during their freshman year, and just from that, he knew the recipe by heart.

“Kun-ge?”

“Ahh!” Kun set the skillet down on the stove a  _ bit _ too forcefully when a voice broke the silence, whipping around to face Xuxi with his heart  _ hammering _ against his sternum. Xuxi looked rough, with dark circles under his head, shamelessly dressed in nothing but his t-shirt and boxers, but he still grinned at Kun’s reaction. “I— I thought you’d sleep later than this!” he defended himself weakly.

“I usually do, but I lost my space heater. As soon as you got out of bed, I was cold.”

“Ha,  _ smooth,”  _ Kun answered as ambiguously as he could. After all, he didn’t want to push Xuxi away, but he didn’t want to look like he was trying too hard. Because he was  _ indeed _ putting a lot of effort into looking confident, intelligent, and fun, and not like the awkward, anxious mess that college had made him. “Coffee’s almost done. Do you want any pancakes? That seems like—”

“—a stupid question because you know that I’ll  _ fuck up  _ whatever pancakes you put in front of me? Yeah.” Xuxi smiled sleepily, inexplicably bright even at this early hour. “Need any help?”

“Mm, I don’t think so. You can get coffee cups from the rack by the sink, if you want! There should be milk in the fridge, and sugar in that little white bowl.”

“Good choice. I’m a terrible cook, but I can manage this much,” Xuxi joked, grabbing two cups. “Hey, how do you take your coffee?”

“No sugar. Just a little milk. I like the bitter flavor!” Kun admitted, feeling his shoulders loosen little by little as he relaxed. So far, Xuxi was acting normal, completely platonic, and… maybe the self-pep-talk had worked, because Kun wasn’t really disappointed at all. One less thing to stress about, really. Xuxi liking him back could have changed  _ everything. _ He thought about Ten and Sicheng, hanging off of each other, and snorted softly to himself. He didn’t want that, not really. Seemed annoying.

“Really? I need at least a  _ little _ sugar. Or preferably a lot. Keeps me peppy.” While Kun heated up a little oil in the skillet, carefully testing a little drip of pancake batter, he could hear Xuxi stirring the cups gently, first one and then the other. It felt— disarmingly nice.  _ So domestic. _ And before he could even banish the thought from his head, Xuxi interrupted his thoughts: “I like learning those little things about people. Like… boyfriend things.”

There it was. Instant lightning, from head to toe. Boyfriend things.  _ Don’t get your hopes up. _ Kun bit his bottom lip to keep his smile in check. “Boyfriends things? You— you didn’t even kiss me yet! What happened to my kiss?”

“Well, I was going to ask before I did it, because I wasn’t sure if I was reading correctly that you were into the idea. Because… y’know. Drunk.” Xuxi snorted sheepishly, setting down a cup of perfectly prepared coffee in front of Kun, with just a splash of milk. “But since you’re asking…” Kun had been about to grab the coffee, but he stopped, his heart leaping into his throat as Xuxi hooked a gentle finger under his chin and commanded Kun’s attention with the gentlest of tugs. A singular pang of affection-snowballed-into-anxiety washed over him, as beautiful as it was terrifying, and instinctively, he closed his eyes.

Xuxi’s kiss was sweet and subdued, but that didn’t mean it lacked anything in  _ feeling. _ The shy press of lips still gave Kun butterflies, and for a second, he forgot that he was a twenty-four year old who’s heart had already been broken by close to half a dozen guys before.  _ This _ had all the energy of a first kiss, and Kun’s mind felt just as wiped with euphoria as he could remember the first time, too. Until the moment that Xuxi pulled away, Kun felt like a self-centered, simple-minded teenager all over again.

Xuxi’s eyes opened slowly, like he was just waking up all over again, and his smile… his  _ smile. _ Kun had to fight his instinct to hide his blushing face in Xuxi’s shoulder. “Yeah,” Xuxi murmured, seemingly to himself, and then with a sheepish smile, he clarified, “Yeah, I’m definitely over Mark. Mark  _ who?” _

“You don’t need to move this fast if you aren’t ready, Xuxi. Although… I’m not saying I don’t want to.” Kun thought of it as a display of morals, giving Xuxi a chance to back out if he really hadn’t thought this through; Xuxi probably saw it for what it really was, though, evidence of Kun’s injured self-esteem.  _ I want you, but I understand if you don’t want me back. Even though you just kissed me, I’ll understand if things fall through. _

“It's not too fast. I'm feeling sad about the way he left me still, but him? I'm over him,” Xuxi defended himself, arm slipping confidently around Kun’s waist, hand unafraid at his hip.  _ God,  _ confidence was sexy. Even if the package it came in was half-dressed and hungover. “Truthfully, I was going to kiss you last night  _ anyway. _ I couldn’t get your confession out of my head after we talked. Reread the texts  _ at least _ a billion times. Kunhang pointed out that I obviously wanted to date you and that I shouldn’t waste any time.”

_ Kunhang. _ Kun could picture him, sitting across the table from him in the coffee shop, letting Ten do most of the talking.  _ “What are you going to do, Kun-ge?” _ Ooh, they were slick. Before he could say anything to this effect, though, Xuxi spoke up and cut him off:

“I think you should flip that pancake.”

“Oh, fuck.” Kun quickly wiggled his spatula under the crisp edge of the pancake and flipped it quickly over. Golden brown, darkening even more at the edges, nearly burnt but  _ not quite. _ Maybe a good sign? “Sorry, I’m usually better at this, but I’ve got someone distracting me today.”

“Gotta get used to it! I require lots of love!” Xuxi’s lips squished against Kun’s cheek for a quick moment, and there was a reluctance to the way he let go of Kun to go and retrieve plates from the cupboard.

For the first time, Kun found a moment to sip his coffee, which was unexpectedly perfect. Another good sign. (Kun was usually one to look for the bad signs, not the good ones, but for some reason Fate was rubbing the good ones right in his face today. He had a good feeling this time, a feeling that Xuxi would be different.)


End file.
